Writing with Integrity

Yesterday my poem “Fishing for Memories: was accepted to be published in an anthology of Planet Earth Poetry. That’s a group that meets every Friday night in Moka House on Hillside. I often read at the open mic there, but I’ve never read this particular poem because, well, it’s embarrassing. Still, I admit it’s a powerful poem and I must get ego out of the way and let it go.

I am going to lead a writing workshop this August, and so I want to understand and explain the process of writing with honesty and integrity. First of all, silence the ego and the editor so that you can unleash the genius that resides in the subconscious. Then float in the river that runs through all our hearts.The subject matter of my poem might be the paltry details of my life but there is a subterranean subtext that belongs to the universal soul and not to me.

Of course, the poem required editing, but ego was not invited even to that process. The editor concerns herself with how to structure lines on the page, how to punctuate and which words to remove as surplus. The editor recognizes the integrity of the poem and lets it stand on its own.

I am proud of “Fishing for Memories” because it is a brutally honest poem about my shame. That’s ego there making a moral judgment.